Groundwater levels in small reservoirs are below normal for the season in most parts of the country. This is shown by a recent update from Sweden’s Geological Survey (SGU).
The small reservoirs in particular react quickly to precipitation, according to SGU, but it is still a matter of months before there is any visible effect. The levels right now are a result of the weather this spring, when it rained less than it usually does in the area during the period, says Anders Retzner, hydrogeologist at SGU.
Irrigation ban
The large water reservoirs are affected much more slowly by the weather and are important for the municipal water supply. The levels there reflect how the weather was one, or even several, years ago. Even in the large stores, the levels are in several places lower than normal for the time of year.
The low groundwater levels have caused municipality after municipality to decide on bans on watering gardens and crops with municipal water, and to fill up pools. Some municipalities have, among other things, also issued bans on car washing with a water hose at home. The idea is that the measures will ensure the availability of drinking water throughout the summer.
See which areas were hit the hardest, in the player above.
Borgholm municipality
Emmaboda municipality
Eslöv municipality (Hurva)
Gnesta Municipality (town)
Karlskrona municipality (parts of the municipality)
Mönsterås municipality
Norrtälje municipality (various parts of the municipality)
Municipality of Nyköping (Edstorp, Råby, Stavvik, Runtuna, Tystberga)
Ovanåker municipality (Voxnabruk)
Region Gotland (Visby and parts of the island)
Simrishamn municipality (parts of the municipality)
Valdemarsvik municipality (Skeppsgården)
Västervik municipality
Source: Swedish water
Groundwater is found almost everywhere below the ground surface, for example in soil layers or in cracks in the bedrock and is usually divided into small and large groundwater reservoirs.
The large aquifers are often gravel pits, where a lot of water collects. They react slowly to changes in the weather, such as drought.
The small groundwater reservoirs can be found, for example, in moraine or ancient rock. They can quickly dry out if the withdrawal of water is large and there is no precipitation.
The large magazines are, relatively speaking, not that many. But almost half of Sweden’s population gets municipal water from there.
The small magazines are used by individual municipalities, but above all in individual wells. About one million Swedes get water for their permanent residence from their own well.
A little more than half of the population gets municipal water from lakes or streams, not from groundwater. These municipalities may still need irrigation bans, because the management system cannot handle a very high consumption.
Source: Geological Survey of Sweden